Malfunctioning automatic doors caused worker's death at northern Ont. mine
A Toronto-based mining company has been fined $300,000 for a workplace fatality that took place last year at Hemlo Mine near Marathon, Ont.
Williams Operating Corp. was penalized for the July 14, 2021, death in which the victim was in an area where work is usually done by self-driving trucks.
While there were no witnesses to the death, it’s believed the worker was crushed by malfunctioning automatic doors.
Workers normally aren’t deployed in that area, but on that day, electrical maintenance had shut the gold mine down for a full day.
“An employee of a contractor … was involved in the process of clearing and readying the automation zone of the mine for use by the night shift, which had just begun,” said a news release Friday from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
“The automation zone is an area of the mine where autonomous trucks, which do not have drivers physically located on the trucks, are operated. Personnel are normally excluded from the area.”
The worker received a call that an automatic gate in the area needed to be reset. The worker went to the gate to reset it.
“The location to reset the gate is near what is known as the F-belt access doors,” the release said.
“While there was no witness to the event, it is believed the worker attempted to go through the doors and was fatally injured while doing so.”
The automatic doors are supposed to open in the event of a power outage, to allow miners to evacuate. However, the system that controls this was somehow reversed.
“The F-belt access doors functioned in reverse of this, defaulting to a closed position following a power outage,” the release said.
“In these circumstances, Williams failed as an employer to ensure that door controls were installed, and the installation was maintained as designed.”
The company pleaded guilty in a Marathon court and will also pay a 25 per cent victim surcharge fine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.